Worrying Recollections Reemerge in Davao as Investigators Trace Bondi Shooting Suspects’ Activities

It was the most terrifying experience of his life. In September 2016, Gerry Pendon was only five meters away from a detonation at the Roxas evening bazaar in Davao City. The ISIS assault left 15 dead, including his brother-in-law. A five-month siege between the armed forces and the extremist group in Marawi ensued.

Nearly a decade later, the threat of IS once more hangs over one of the Philippines’ largest cities, during international scrutiny over the 28-day stay in the city of the accused Bondi beach shooters, the Akrams, father and son.

Pendon, who makes a living as a massage technician at the night market, learned of the Bondi incident on the television, but similar to other residents surveyed, felt largely removed.

The 2016 bombing is a bad memory he is working to forget. A remembrance marker for the 2016 victims is placed in a part of the night market, looking incongruous against the joyful mood as many people flocked there for meals, massages and trinkets.

Ongoing Inquiries Amid Holiday Celebrations

Examinations of the visit to the country of the duo comes as the overwhelmingly Catholic country is preparing for Christmas. Davao’s city hall has been lit up by a tall Christmas tree, malls are crowded, and children go door-to-door to perform Christmas songs.

“I was taken aback to see [the Akrams] in the news. But they were here for travel, not extremism,” says Emelyn Lorenzo, also a massage therapist at the market. Officials have stated the inquiry into their activities is active and the precise reason for their trip is still unknown.

Faith in Security Record

Lorenzo is furthermore confident that no one could carry out another terrorist strike in the city historically administered by the political machine of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose name – both famous and infamous – was built on tightly securing Davao through strict anti-crime and drug war policies. At an entrance of the night market, at least four guards stand searching bags.

The Philippine government has denied allegations that it was a hub for extremists for the accused Bondi shooters. The country has a extensive past of instability and marginalisation that has seen some local militant factions establish links with global terrorist networks. But while IS-linked groups persist, experts say they are limited in size and diminished.

Authorities Piece Together Whereabouts

What is clear, said Eduardo Año, the Philippines’ top security official, is the two never left the city nor received combat training in the country, as was earlier claimed.

Police have said they are “not taking lightly” the pair’s stay in the country as they map out the movements of the father and son during their four-week stay in Davao City.

Investigators say there are numerous places the two could have frequented or connected with associates in the vicinity. Many of businesses sit between the hotel where they stayed and a nearby Jollibee, where they were reported to buy their food.

Officers are analyzing surveillance tapes and tracking transport records to reconstruct their whereabouts, and that all possibilities are being entertained.

Concerns in Marawi Over Stigma

In Marawi, the site of fierce battles with IS-linked militants in 2017, inhabitants are worried that renewed terrorist labels could lead to heightened securitisation and worsen prejudice against Muslims.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a academic at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, said the Philippine intelligence community must find out what took place.

Manlupig commended local initiatives in enhancing the peace and order in Davao City but he said “this doesn’t mean that radicalism simply disappeared”. He said the country must tackle economic and social issues and governance challenges that motivate the motivations behind the unrest while “keep advocating for acceptance and prevent discrimination and sectarianism”.